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February 13, 2009

A Peek into my Classrooms:So here we are in Houston at the Int'l Quilt Festival. One of the 5 classes I taught was The Bee's Knees. We haven't gotten to appliqueing the Honey Bees onto the quilt top just yet. It's a pretty little pattern with a Bee hive and honey bees appliqued on top of the traditionalHoney bee" block....a very fun class as you can tell by the smiles. The class was filled and it was fun to see all the different variations of fabrics picked for the beehive and the background. This pattern is also available for purchase by emailing me.Linda@lindampoole.com

And here we are in Memphis, TN where I taught at a retreat.The girls were great! When I entered the facility, they all had T-shirts on with a postcard that said "Poole Party"....and a fantastic party it was! This class is called "The Dragonfly" and once again, the colorful fabric made these winged beauties pop off the quilt top.You too can take these classes, just look at my website and see if I'll be in your area or your quilt guild program chair can hire me for your guild's program!Your ColorFix forToday:Fun Pic for Today:One of my passions is taking pictures and what better way to share them than post them here for you to see!And something to make you smile:

Sometimes when you're not looking, a perfect photo opportunity lies right in front of you.I took this photo in Mystic Seaport, CT. I just loved the slogan "Life is Good" coupled with the flat tire.

February 10, 2009

Late breaking news........so nice to see the word applique mentioned in this article and I wonder how many applique horse designs will be sewn!

Applique Shawl given to First Lady Michelle Obama

“You are at the center of one of this Administration’s highest priorities: securing America’s energy future, protecting our natural environment and using the natural resources as responsibly as we can,” she said. “It is not only vital for the survival of our planet as we work to combat climate change but also incredibly important to strengthen our economy and the well being of our families.”

In recognition of Mrs. Obama’s accomplishments, she was welcomed by “the Honor Song” sung by Traditional drum singers, the Black Bear Singers, an inter-tribal group representing American Indians who live and work in the Washington, D.C. area.

Employees presented the First Lady with a traditional American Indian woman’s shawl with an appliqué horse pattern-- a mark of respect to honor women of high achievements and distinction. Nedra Darling, Director of Public Affairs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, presented the shawl, which was made by Marian Hansson, curator of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Darling is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, while Hansson is a member of the Kiowa Nation.

While thanking employees for the honors, the First Lady reiterated the President’s commitment to appoint an American Indian policy advisor on his senior White House staff.

February 8, 2009

A Word From Zoi....."Wait just a "dog-gone minute mom...........before you start blogging away I have a question. How come you didn't buy me these special stuffed toys? I think we can add a few to the bazillion I have already, right? You're always saying "those" words to me when we go outside!! Ok...I feel better now that I got that question out.You can go back now to telling everyone about all the neat stuff you saw in Italy...and mom? Are you ever gonna make "me" a quilt????

Thanks everyone for that little Zoie interuption....she's quite good at it.....but then again, puppies do think the world is all about them!OHHHH....The Fabric in Florence...yummy!So, here I was in Florence for a beautiful day out to taste the cuisine, take in the beauty of the city, the Duomos, the sculptures and without even looking, a fabric shop popped up in front of me. It was of course, the fabric in the store window. I had to go in of course, and think I was going to walk out with fabric....haha. It was just to expensive for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself looking at what was offered. The shop workers were pleasant, and were enthused to learn that I was a quilter. Yep, they knew what a quilter was......well of course they would, quilting is virtually everywhere now.I especially loved the tapestries, needlework and couture in this store.Cotton wasn't plentiful, but the silks were to die for.I left a very happy girl only to discover many more treats for my eyes.....So......I wondered how much a small piece of fabric like this would cost. Um....way to much for my pocketbook. But then again, the US dollar wasn't doing well. Inside this shop was this amazing quilt. It was stuffed (trapunto) and the stitches seemed like they carved out this amazing scene!Fabric Shop by AccidentDon't ask me where this shop is! One of the many surprises that happened to me in Italy was running across this fabric/quilt shop in northern Italy. The quilt of course is what caught my eye. It was like a pulsating magnet that pulled me to the window. Do you know how badly I wanted to go inside and talk "quilt" with the people??? It was not going to happen that day, the shop was closed.....sniffle.

Young Artists in TuscanyWhile I was in the Tuscany region of Italy, I could not believe how lucky I was to be in the presence of some truly amazing young artists. Here they were, in their own little space in the middle of "everything". People bustling all around them, and they were just purely in their "art zone". I could have stayed all day and watched them. I began to think how sad that all their work would be washed away with rain or from people walking over them after they finished and went home. But then again, how lucky we all were to have such an experience of witnessing such talent right there and then. I wonder how they felt about their work vanishing at any given moment, or maybe it was that unselfish part of the artist who is happy to share their hearts in the colors they painted on the walkways.

Where is everyone? Where's "my" boots? Can we go outside now?.....sigh...I'll just wait and take a nap until mom's done doing this blog thing for all of you. She says she has more designs for quilts from Italy, but that's for another blog post......Zoie

Need a little more fix on Italy and Quilting? Go to my website and click on "Articles". You can read about Quilt Italia and the wonderful quilters and their quilts when I taught for Quilt Italia's Quilt Show in Modena, Italy!http://www.lindampoole.com